Outer Limits 4x4 Board

got my superior drop shackles the other day now i need longer shocks for my 60 series, how do these 3 brand compare price? quality? i know every one says rancho's are not good enough for cruisers or patrols but has anyone acutally seen one F*%k up? havnt heard any bad comments about tough dogs or pro comps.
thanks tyson

Have a look at Boss shocks

I brought some through Shane at 4x4 stuff

Good shocks at a good price.

stool wrote:Have a look at Boss shocks

I brought some through Shane at 4x4 stuff

Good shocks at a good price.

ok thanks mate ill check them out

60_series_united wrote:got my superior drop shackles the other day now i need longer shocks for my 60 series, how do these 3 brand compare price? quality? i know every one says rancho's are not good enough for cruisers or patrols but has anyone acutally seen one F*%k up? havnt heard any bad comments about tough dogs or pro comps.
thanks tyson

Just cause they didn't "f*%k up" doesn't mean there is nothing wrong with them. If they haven't changed in a few years then the Ranchos I had in my Patrol rode like crap in all situations. Replaced them with much cheaper non adjustable Ride Pros and it rode exceptionally better.

Many suggest Tough Dogs are no better and although I have no experience of them I know enough seemingly smart 4x4 people who said stay away so I did.

Quality of ProComps seems good but everyone I know that has them say they are very soft to the point of not giving a very confident ride.

I would personally stay away from all 3 for those reasons but of course when it comes down to ride characteristics we all have different tastes.

fester2au wrote:

60_series_united wrote:got my superior drop shackles the other day now i need longer shocks for my 60 series, how do these 3 brand compare price? quality? i know every one says rancho's are not good enough for cruisers or patrols but has anyone acutally seen one F*%k up? havnt heard any bad comments about tough dogs or pro comps.
thanks tyson

Just cause they didn't "f*%k up" doesn't mean there is nothing wrong with them. If they haven't changed in a few years then the Ranchos I had in my Patrol rode like crap in all situations. Replaced them with much cheaper non adjustable Ride Pros and it rode exceptionally better.

Many suggest Tough Dogs are no better and although I have no experience of them I know enough seemingly smart 4x4 people who said stay away so I did.

Quality of ProComps seems good but everyone I know that has them say they are very soft to the point of not giving a very confident ride.

I would personally stay away from all 3 for those reasons but of course when it comes down to ride characteristics we all have different tastes.

yeah fair enough, have u got any sugestions?

I currently run Procomp's in my GQ and i am very happy with them. They are quite a soft shock, but they suit my on-road driving style (slow!) and they perform really well in the bush.

I had Rancho adjustables in my old MK wagon, but that was mainly a touring rig, although it did quite a few bush trips. I never had an issue with the Rancho's and found them to be good for what i did with them.

Like I said couldn't fault the Ride Pros in a coil GU.
Recently had EFS Extremes in my 80 series but without much touring weight (mines unloaded probably 90% of the time) and they were far too stiff for the limited weight.
Changed them for the Boss adjustables which so far seem reasonable. Can;t say more than that yet as I've only run aroun town with them but seeign as they are adjustable they seem like they will work out OK for the money.

Remember this is all on coils though.

For what it's worth I think the whole adjust my suspension for the road conditions blurb that the Rancho/Tough Dog crowd spruke is all crap. They are not that adjustable anyway, sure you turn a knob but your not really adjusting much and they are all supposed to have this velocity sensitive vavling these days which should mean no adjustment necessary. Adjustment is only really beneficial to get a setting to suit your truck if it's different than the norm etc.

If you want adjustable, then Boss without question.

Toyo80 wrote:If you want adjustable, then Boss without question.

not to worriedabot being adjustable or not i would only use to settings anyway on road-hardest and off road-softest, but i have been talking to a few ppl about them and they seem to be the way to go

60_series_united wrote:

Toyo80 wrote:If you want adjustable, then Boss without question.

not to worriedabot being adjustable or not i would only use to settings anyway on road-hardest and off road-softest, but i have been talking to a few ppl about them and they seem to be the way to go

Mate no way would i run them at the hardest, way too firm i would say.

Plenty of adjustment to play around with though.

60_series_united wrote:i know every one says rancho's are not good enough for cruisers or patrols but has anyone acutally seen one F*%k up?

yes.. me 3 times... yes nutha board member, 4 times. both Patrols.

bogged wrote:

60_series_united wrote:i know every one says rancho's are not good enough for cruisers or patrols but has anyone acutally seen one F*%k up?

yes.. me 3 times... yes nutha board member, 4 times. both Patrols.

yes.

srowlandson wrote:

bogged wrote:

60_series_united wrote:i know every one says rancho's are not good enough for cruisers or patrols but has anyone acutally seen one F*%k up?

yes.. me 3 times... yes nutha board member, 4 times. both Patrols.

yes.

Me too. I can trash Rancho at will, just give me 15mins with them. Thats in a Discovery but running Patrol shocks. I've done 6 Rancho shocks, 2 fronts and 4 rears.

had rancho's on my wagon and they failed pretty bad.personally the pro comps are worth it I have run them in my ute for three years and before that had a set in my wagon for four.looking at giving a set of durashocks a go soon.had a chat to Driveline services at archerfield and saw one broken down and seem the goods.You don't know unless you try.

I've got procomps, and can confirm they're a really soft shock. They also seem to have 2/10ths of bugger all rebound damping (compression damping is good though).

Gave them a flogging through Maree, Oodnadatta, Mt Dare, Finke, Alice Springs and they held up well. They got hot, but no real fading. They seem to work better when I was giving them a hard time.

Go Konis 88 or 90 series...
or OME LTR's..

All 3 are top shelf.

I was running rancho front and procomp rear in my hilux, the rancho's only lasted a year or so, they lost all dampening affect. However the procomps are still going hard in the rear, they have been in there that long they are starting to rust. Now I'm running pro comps all round, and would never buy rancho again. Bang for buck I reckon the pro comps

So Rancho acutally make a shock for a patrol now or is the Rancho fitment for a Patrol based on what fits?

Buying Ranchos based on what fits is massively fraught, especially on a heavy coil sprung car.

PS 60 series unlimited, when you find some shocks designed to "work" with zero spring ratem kae sure you let us all know. No shock can "work" with drop shackles IMHO.

Steve.

Gwagensteve wrote:So Rancho acutally make a shock for a patrol now or is the Rancho fitment for a Patrol based on what fits?

Buying Ranchos based on what fits is massively fraught, especially on a heavy coil sprung car.

PS 60 series unlimited, when you find some shocks designed to "work" with zero spring ratem kae sure you let us all know. No shock can "work" with drop shackles IMHO.

Steve.

I *think* that the shocks are all based on something and that one has its length and rate range based on the requirements of the Patrol.

As long as the axle wants to move there will be a load on the shocks, even if the load doesn't come from the spring.

Are bilsteins worth the extra dollars?

yamaha__308 wrote:Are bilsteins worth the extra dollars?

For what use, and which particular bilsteins?

They have an awesome name in USA in offroad racing, but it would depend which ones and what actual use you had (tourer, tuff truck etc)...
Lets say you wouldnt go wrong with them.

I don't believe there is a better touring shock than the Bilstein.

i run the tuff dogs and find the adjustability great and a huge difference between hardest and softest, although i run mine opposite to what most of you guys do , set to soft on road which gives me a nice limo like drive and about 3/4 off road to stop it from bottoming out , the hardest setting is way too stiff and never used so on road about 3 to 4 and off road about 7 , but had the boss shocks come out before i got mine i would have gotten them for the longer travel as the tuff dogs have built in bump stops which reduce the overall travel

my 2c

I wouldn't touch any of the 3 but if I had to it would be Procomp with neoprene bushing.
My first choice would be Edelbrock but they are not cheap.
My second would be Bilstein as even their basic shock has better ride quality & longevity than the other 3 will ever have at any comparible price.
With regard to any shocks you buy make sure you have good quality bushes, neoprene if they aren't a vulcanised unit.


brooksy

I've got ranchos. They seem to work...


These look nice

Jeeps wrote:I've got ranchos. They seem to work...


These look nice

I am pretty sure they are a re-badged Edelbrock



brooksy

Chalk another vote up from me for the boss shocks. I use then in my zook and the adjustable range is greater than all the others. Also the general quality is miles above rancho and tough dogs and even pro comp.

Below is pic of Crankycruisers old rancho shocks next to his new boss shocks. The latest Boss shock are now silver in colour.

pro comp because they are cheap enough to replace without crying if you bust one, i also like lovells shocks as they are bigger bore and have thick walls.

A brand of shock doesn't make it good or bad, having it fitted to the correct application for a suited purpose is usually where we fail.
You need to remember that neither rancho nor procomp have a shock absorber for the application you are requiring. They may have a shockabsorber the desired length but that's where there suitability will end.
Just because someone says that a shocker has been faultless doesn't mean that it has performed well, it just means that the driver isn't aware of how a good shocker performs and it hasn't shat itself on them.
If a shock absorber doesn't get hot then it's not working, simple as that! so don't let anyone tell you that there's are better cos they don't get hot.
Adjustable shockers are great because it means you don't need to get the right shocker right, you can just tinker with it and reach and compromise.
what do you want to do with vehicle?
Do you need a shock with good compression dampening? good rebound? or both? are you doing high speed or low speed? do you want off the chart flex? are you doing alot of sand, hill climbs or what terrain? the answers to these should determine the shock, not the price, color or brand.